WBFF (Baltimore, MD) — What seemed like a simple attempt by a customer to buy cigarettes quickly turned into an armed robbery.
Raphael Lloyd, 47, is wanted by the US Marshals Service.
According to investigators, Lloyd entered the B-Green Wholesale store on South Monroe Street in South Baltimore on July 21 and told the clerk he would like to buy some cigarettes.
Since B-Green is a wholesaler, the seller asked for a Lloyd’s membership card.
Investigators said Lloyd reached into his fanny pack, but instead pulled out a gun and demanded packs of cigarettes.
The seller allegedly fled into a back room while Lloyd helped himself to cigarette packs behind the counter.
Investigators said other employees tried to intervene, but during a struggle over the boxes, a second suspect appeared and stole the products.
Both suspects then fled the crime scene.
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As the employees gather, one worker notices that the shooter looked familiar.
Using witness statements, employee files and surveillance videos, investigators were able to identify the suspect as 47-year-old Raphael Lloyd, a former employee who had been fired from the wholesale business.
“They recognized the person who pointed the gun at them,” said Mat Silverman, deputy marshal with the U.S. Marshals Service. “From talking to other employees there, it was clear that Mr. Lloyd had actually worked at that store before.”
According to court records, Lloyd’s criminal past stretches back nearly three decades, to the mid-1990s.
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Over the years, most of these arrests or convictions have been for drug offenses, including possession of narcotics with the intent to manufacture and distribute.
According to records, at the time of the most recent armed robbery, Lloyd had a warrant out for his arrest for violating probation.
This probation was granted due to a 2017 conviction for another armed robbery.
In this case, Lloyd was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Lloyd is now wanted for two crimes, including his most recent armed robbery.
“We need to get him off the streets,” Silverman said. “Anyone who goes into a store and robs someone for cigarettes is going through desperate times. The question is, what’s next? If he’s willing to pull a gun to get cigarettes, what’s next?”
Anyone with information on Lloyd’s whereabouts is asked to call 202-819-5058.
